Like most people, I work much more efficiently when there is a looming deadline to focus my mind. Has anyone found a way to 'trick' their minds into thinking a deadline is more imminent than it is, to increase productivity?
posted by Kiwi on Dec 15, 2009 - 28 answers

How do I make the most of the Internet? [more inside]
posted by logicalsequence on Dec 12, 2009 - 13 answers

GoodTimesFilter: Instead of going out and being social, I tend to make excuses, saying I need to stay in to complete work - which I often don't actually complete, due to procrastination and distraction issues. How I can quiet this negative voice, and go out to have a good time? [more inside]
posted by SNWidget on Nov 20, 2009 - 11 answers

Call it procrastination, call it forgetfulness, call it disorganization, call it laziness-- whatever it is, it's affecting my work life, and I want it to stop. [more inside]
posted by cereselle on Nov 13, 2009 - 25 answers

Introvert Filter: please help me revive a friendship! [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 27, 2009 - 18 answers

I've written 10 of 20 pages of dense literary research in short spurts here and there. How do I spend all day tomorrow finishing up the rest? As a lifelong procrastinator I'm fixated by the fact that my paper isn't due for another 7 weeks, but I'd rather complete the bulk of the work tomorrow. How should I prepare to do challenging intellectual work for long stretches of time? [more inside]
posted by Viola on Oct 26, 2009 - 20 answers

I can't or won't study. Please help me. [more inside]
posted by Ouisch on Oct 7, 2009 - 33 answers

Help me find that elusive gift! [more inside]
posted by horseblind on Sep 24, 2009 - 9 answers

I've installed laminate flooring about a year ago, and individual pieces are sliding around. [more inside]
posted by mecran01 on Sep 19, 2009 - 10 answers

I cannot seem to stop procrastinating on a work project, and the deadline is looming. I have no doubt that I can get it done if I can just make myself get the work done, but I cannot make myself concentrate and buckle down and get it done! [more inside]
posted by dumbledore69 on Aug 12, 2009 - 22 answers

TemporalFilterRedux: I've got about two weeks (starting today) before my graduate classes kick back up. I have a bunch of things I need to take care of between now and then, in no particular order. I've always had a problem with time management (as previous questions of mine demonstrate), so I'm looking for advice on how to deal with this two week block, and how to make sure that I get everything, and don't just sit around, watching TV. [more inside]
posted by SNWidget on Aug 10, 2009 - 23 answers

I have an awesome job - but I'm too afraid to actually work? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 30, 2009 - 21 answers

Teach me how to study, please? I am 29 and going back to school to complete my BA. I haven't been to school in around 4 years. I don't think I have ever studied for anything. [more inside]
posted by mokeydraws on Jul 21, 2009 - 22 answers

Published writers, how did you deal with post-sale paralysis? [more inside]
posted by mynameisluka on Jul 11, 2009 - 15 answers

I have a TP-Link TL-WR340GD router and 2 PCs: one of them is connected to the router through wireless, the other through a LAN cable. I'd like my router to cut off my internet every day at some fixed hour without me changing anything on the 2 PCs. [more inside]
posted by gakiko on Jun 17, 2009 - 5 answers

How do I know if I'm working as hard as I should be, or if I'm slacking off too much? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 10, 2009 - 16 answers

Firefox add-ons have stopped working - help! [more inside]
posted by altolinguistic on Jun 9, 2009 - 6 answers

Curbing impulses: what are some simple, in-the-moment tricks for interrupting reflexive behavior patterns and restoring self-control? [more inside]
posted by Bardolph on Apr 27, 2009 - 9 answers

I'm in trouble because I try to ignore trouble. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 22, 2009 - 23 answers

I have Important Things I Have To Do, but I'm having trouble doing them. Instead, I find myself wanting to do a variety of plainly self-destructive things. This happens to me a lot-- but why, and how do I deal with it? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 13, 2009 - 20 answers

What are my options when I have decided that I want to receive cognitive behavioral therapy, but I live in a non English speaking country with few mental health resources in general? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 25, 2009 - 9 answers

TemporalDisturbanceFilter: I seem to lose time. Or, more specifically, I'm one of those people that needs to get a bunch of things done, but I can easily sit on my laptop and play flash games for what turns into 4 hours. How do I break this habit/get my stuff together? [more inside]
posted by SNWidget on Mar 18, 2009 - 34 answers

I would like to find software that will restrict both software use and access to particular internet sites (by whitelist or blacklist) based on the time of day. [more inside]
posted by If only I had a penguin... on Feb 3, 2009 - 6 answers

ProcrastinationFilter: What are some good search terms to plug into Youtube's search engine for an ample stream of entertainment? [more inside]
posted by Christ, what an asshole on Jan 23, 2009 - 24 answers

How do you stop worrying so you can work? When you start to freak out with worry, how do you stop? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 19, 2009 - 19 answers

How do I prevent family member from procrastinating preventing video games and IM tools using Win XP and limiting surfing using Firefox tool- Leechblock? [more inside]
posted by InvestorMD on Dec 23, 2008 - 7 answers

How to get rid of my internet / procrastination habits? [more inside]
posted by rintako on Dec 7, 2008 - 16 answers

I'm a terrible procrastinator. I have an idea for a solution, but it requires other people. Does this sort of thing exist? [more inside]
posted by Dec One on Dec 4, 2008 - 12 answers

I have fucked up yet another academic semester. This is the third time--I fucked up as a freshman, took time off, came back, fucked up again, took more time off, and came back and have repeated the cycle. Only now, now that I've realized I've shot myself in the foot again, I desperately want to recover my academic career somehow. Is it possible? Is it over? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 19, 2008 - 34 answers

What did you do to get over your deep-seated belief that you'll fail at everything you do? In the past this has manifested itself in overtly self-destructive behaviors (e.g. substance abuse), and while those are currently under control I still engage in massive self-sabotage that I'm pretty sure is connected to my belief that I do not deserve success and will fail at anything I try to do. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 27, 2008 - 18 answers

Ok, so I am a creative worker. My job is to picks thoughts out of my head. I write, I teach, I prove theorems, I design software. I mean, all these things are the same... it's the harvesting of ideas. So, what do you do when it's dry season? [more inside]
posted by gmarceau on Oct 22, 2008 - 11 answers

How can I change my habits? I'm a graduate student, and I am taking my PhD qualifying examinations within the next year. I am down to the wire and I need to change my habits, and they are very, very bad. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 6, 2008 - 15 answers

How can I make an optimized "Work" account on my Macbook, with a few specific requirements? [more inside]
posted by synecdoche on Aug 31, 2008 - 10 answers

What's the best way to catch all of the olympics that I missed? It seems like NBC's coverage was narrow at best and I'd like to see some of the great stuff they didn't focus on. Is there the equivalent of a boxed set of olympic footage that will show up on netflix at some point, or am I just stuck cobbling together olympic torrents?
posted by mecran01 on Aug 24, 2008 - 12 answers

How do you keep track of your project ideas? How do you get yourself to follow through on them? [more inside]
posted by rivenwanderer on Jul 18, 2008 - 14 answers

OK - this is stupid, but how on earth did these people get such high scores on Off-Road Velociraptor Safari? I got 1,000,000 points once when the game crashed mid-jump, but I can't fathom how these guys got scores in the billions!
posted by sfz on May 26, 2008 - 12 answers

I'm looking for an application that tracks my software and website usage that is not RescueTime. I'm extremely uncomfortable with the data being transmitted to a website and want something that stores it on my computer, not anywhere else. I've also used MeeTimer, and found it too buggy. Does anyone have any suggestions?
posted by schroedinger on May 11, 2008 - 6 answers

Seems like I cannot figure out what to do with the 24 hours I'm given. Help me make use of every minute I have by doing positive and fun things, and at the same time, move on from my failed relationship. [more inside]
posted by cyanide on Apr 30, 2008 - 19 answers

I’ve just finished reading The Now Habit, an incredibly useful and inspiring book on overcoming procrastination. What’s the best approach to implementing and then retaining the strategies presented in this, or any other, book? [more inside]
posted by mizrachi on Apr 28, 2008 - 9 answers

I haven't done any work yet, but I swear I will soon - (how) do I tell my thesis advisor? [more inside]
posted by jacalata on Apr 27, 2008 - 20 answers

It's Tax Day already?! [more inside]
posted by Space Kitty on Apr 15, 2008 - 14 answers

I'm anxious. All the time. About everything. Everything! Are there ways to manage this without the use of medication? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 27, 2008 - 43 answers

Help! How do I face my employer and students when I've really f*cked up! [more inside]
posted by notcomputersavvy06 on Mar 18, 2008 - 21 answers

Procrastinators: Is your PDA/smartphone a net negative or a net positive from a productivity standpoint? [more inside]
posted by fermion on Dec 4, 2007 - 12 answers

how to explain the lack of... uhm work... at work? [more inside]
posted by barrakuda on Nov 20, 2007 - 14 answers

So a 'ruinous indiscipline' issue (described here and here) isn't getting any better. [more inside]
posted by raisons de coeur on Nov 20, 2007 - 22 answers

How do I sell half a house to my brother, who’s living there? My only sibling and I have inherited our late parents’ house as part of the estate. He’s currently living in it, and is happy to stay and is interested in buying my half out. I don’t want half the house; I do want the money. [more inside]
posted by Savannah on Nov 7, 2007 - 4 answers

How do you maintain sight of your long-term goals? I chronically sacrifice long-term success for short-term gains and it's not working out for me. [more inside]
posted by schroedinger on Oct 16, 2007 - 20 answers

I'm a science nerd who's transitioned to the humanities because of repeated fuck-ups. Now I'm giving up the last few science classes I have and it's ripping me apart. What should I do? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 18, 2007 - 21 answers

How can I help my boyfriend face his serious, long-term roach problem? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 10, 2007 - 61 answers